Moving Forward
by goblynn
Summary: The sequel to Look At Me...a development in the J/L relationship; rating based on present and future subject matter.
1. Questions

MovingForward Disclaimer: I have no association with Marvel or any other entity connected to the creators/publishers of the X-Men. This writing is purely for amusement only, and no infringement is intended.   
Feedback: Constructive criticism is welcomed, as well as all praise (of course!). Flames will be shot back at the sender. ;) 

Author's Notes: This is the first portion of the sequel to Look At Me, also found on ff.net. I hope to get the rest out very, very shortly. Thank you in advance for the reviews for this story, and a wondrously big *Thanks* to all the generous reviewers of LAM. It was appreciated. 

And now, on with the show...   
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Moving Forward--by Goblynn 

Logan sat dejectedly on the sofa, the beer he'd been nursing for just under an hour in one hand, the television remote in the other. The channels blinked by at a constant, dizzying pace, but he didn't notice--he wasn't really trying to find something to watch. His brain needed a distraction before he could think clearly…something like the visual equivalent of turning on the radio before going to sleep because the noise is relaxing.   
He had some heavy thoughts on his mind, all of them circling around on themselves to find a common center--Jubilee.   
It'd been six months since her return to the mansion, and slightly less than that since they'd finally got their acts together. It'd been a rough row to hoe, no doubt about that. (He'd never forget Cyke's reaction to their new status--didn't think ol' One-Eye had that much nerve.) Still…things were good, and he felt happier than he'd felt in a long while. Except for now.   
His thoughts drifted back to the early hours of that same morning….   
********************   
He'd noticed that she wasn't sleeping--that much was obvious. What bothered him was that she was lying on her back staring up in the darkness, her breathing hesitant and shallow--pretending to be asleep.   
*Hell, don't she know better'n that?* He remained motionless as she slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom. *Guess old habits die hard after all--tryin' to sneak around.* He stifled a chuckle and listened to her movements on the other side of the door. She rustled around a few moments, then he heard the soft tearing of thin cardboard. His ears perked at the unfamiliar sound. All was quiet again except for the noise of her relieving herself, then flushing the toilet. He sighed, opening his eyes to wait for her reappearance at the door.   
She didn't come. He waited. Minutes passed. Then the subdued tones of sobs reached his ears.   
"Jube?" He was out of bed and at the door in an instant. Turning the doorknob, he found it was locked. "Darlin'--ya okay in there?"   
She sniffled, her voice thick and choking. "Yeah...uh, gimme a minute, will you? I'm, uh...I'm...I'm comin'. Hang on."   
The sound of crumbling paper reached his ears through the wood separating them. The lock clicked softly and the knob turned in his grip. Jubilee stood just inside the doorway, blocking his entrance into the small room.   
"What were ya doin' in there, darlin'?"   
"Nothin'. Just had to go." She tried to walk past him, but his bulky form stopped her, one hand wrapping around her upper arm. "Wolvie, move..."   
"What's wrong, Jubilee." It wasn't a question, and she knew it. His tone let her know real quick that he wanted answers, and wanted them right then.   
"I told you--nothin'. I just had to pee, okay?"   
A low growl rumbled through his chest as he released her arm. Shoving past him, she went back to the bed. His eyes narrowed in the low light as he watched her, and reaching around the doorjamb to flip the light-switch, he glanced down at the wastebasket. A small bag had been wadded up and stashed under some tissues, leaving only a portion of the blue-patterned paper exposed. He recognized the print from a local pharmacy. Kneeling, he plucked the discarded sack from the trash and opened it. Inside he found a plain white box with blue and pink swirling print announcing its purpose for existence to him.   
A generic home pregnancy test.   
********************   
He blinked rapidly, forcing himself out of his reverie. Glancing at the grandfather clock at the far side of the room, he noted the time.   
*Been gone four hours now. Wonder how she's doin'.*   
She'd gone to Jean first, and the telepath had called her personal physician and begged a favor. He'd squeezed Jubilee in on his lunch hour, and promised to rush the test results. Logan had questioned the wisdom of using an outside doctor, but Jean had reminded him that Hank wasn't an OB/GYN, and that her doctor was also a mutant and could be trusted. Now, two hours after the appointment was scheduled to begin, Logan began to worry.   
********************   
Elsewhere… 

"Miss Lee, I'll be direct about this. Your tests have come back positive--you are pregnant. Now, I can't determine just yet whether or not the fetus carries the mutant gene, but I have to say the odds are that it does. Of course, I can't begin to assume the nature of the gift." The doctor paused, reaching in his desk drawer for some brochures. "Miss Lee, I don't want you to think I'm overstepping my bounds as a physician, but I feel compelled to discuss this with you--considering the nature of the situation." He slid the information across the desktop. The topmost pamphlet read "Childbirth in Marriage: the Benefits To Your Child's Development".   
"What's this?"   
"The information I've given you outlines the positive aspects of having a child in wedlock, as well as the difficulties of raising one as a single mother."   
"Doc, where I live, I won't be raising this baby alone."   
"Mrs. Summers said as much to me on the phone, but I must press the issue." He leaned forward, his voice growing more earnest. "Miss Lee, being a mutant is not easy in any walk of life. Consider how your son or daughter will be treated. First, teased because he or she has only one parent," he held up his hand to silence Jubilee's protests, "then subjected to further torment because he or she is a mutant. It's a difficult path. Do you really want to force your child into that life?"   
"No. It's just that Logan--"   
"He's the father?"   
"Yeah--it's just that he's a loner, and keeps to himself, you know? I don't think he'll go for the white picket fence bit."   
"Meaning you don't see him as the marrying kind."   
"Yeah…" Jubilee's sentence was interrupted when she felt Jean in her mind. *Remember, Jubilee--Logan was getting married once before.*   
Jubilee sat quietly for a long moment. Finally, she sighed, reaching for the test print-outs and ultrasound images. Glancing up at the doctor, she picked up the literature he'd given her. "Mind if I take these home with me?"   
"Not at all." He rose from his seat. "Miss Lee--Jubilee--I wish you the best. This can be the most rewarding experience you'll ever know, and I hope you realize that I'm only trying to make it better for you. I'm not advising that you enter into a loveless marriage--only that if you and--Logan, was it?--truly love one another, then this should be a much simpler decision to make than you anticipate. Take care of yourself, and come see me again in a month."   
"Thanks, Doc, for seeing me."   
"Glad to be of help." 


	2. Answers

Chapter Two All previous disclaimers apply.   
********************   
Jubilee was silent as she and Jean crossed the parking lot, winding a crisscrossing path through the other vehicles as they moved towards their own. As Jean depressed the remote keyless entry, the car unlocked with a sharp chirp. Resting her hand on the frame of the open door, Jean looked across the roof at her younger companion. "Jubilee, are you alright?"   
Bright blue eyes glanced up at her once, quickly, before vanishing behind a veil of raven-dark hair--then the image disappeared when Jubilee dropped into her seat and shut the door. Jean slid in beside her, dropping the keys into her purse.   
Jubilee cut her now-reddened eyes up in question. "What're you doin'?" She sniffed once.   
"Waiting for you to tell me how you're feeling."   
"I'm fine, Jean."   
"I seriously doubt that, Jubilee. You're too quiet, and you're crying."   
"I cried all the way over here."   
"That's different."   
"How?"   
"Because you were worried about being pregnant. You know that now. So it must be something else." She looked down at the images in Jubilee's hands. "Something tells me that it's not entirely the baby that you're crying over."   
Jubilee sniffed again.   
"It's Logan." Another sniff. "Am I right?"   
"Aren't you always?" Jubilee wiped her eyes with her sleeve and twisted in her seat, facing Jean. "Dammit, Jean--how am I supposed to tell Logan all this? How am I gonna tell him 'yeah, I'm gonna hatch a little Logan in nine months'? Better'n that--how the *hell* am I supposed to ask him about gettin' married?" She threw the pamphlets and photographs into the floorboard, burying her face in her hands as her shoulders began to shake from the force of her sobs.   
Jean said nothing, offering only the occasional glance to her right as she cranked the car and drove back to the mansion.   
********************   
The Danger Room was enveloped in darkness. Here and there the eerie line of a ruby laser sight crossed the created landscape within. Periodically, the sound of a muffled cry, followed by a low thump, could be heard. Overhead, Gambit watched as yet another attacker met his doom at the hands of his Canadian teammate. The only warning any of the black-clad troopers crossing paths with Wolverine ever received was the momentary glint of metal in their sights.   
It was a brutal program. Not for Logan--not by any means--but for the attackers, certainly. Gambit mused on his friend's actions. Something was obviously eating away at him. Considering the mysterious exit of Jean and Jubilee this morning, he was betting that that "something" had to do with the lovely petit.   
Gambit pondered the possibilities as he continued watching the sequence unfold below him. Sixteen dead troopers later, Jean's presence entered the Cajun's mind.   
*Are you with Logan?*   
*Oui, chère.*   
*What is he doing?*   
*Givin' de Danger Room hell.*   
Jean didn't respond right away. Then, *Tell him to meet me out front.*   
*What about de petit?*   
*She's here.*   
*She alright? Gambit been curious...*   
*She's...fine. Just tell Logan we're here.*   
*D'accord.*   
*Thanks, Gambit.*   
*Ne rien, chère.*   
Gambit stood, looking over the control console out into the darkness. Somewhere below, Logan was battling his fears and concerns by destroying image-projection troops. Whatever the problem was, Gambit was now certain it stemmed from the petit with the dark hair. He muttered in French as he depressed the loudspeaker button. "Logan." The program running below ended suddenly. The lights flickered, their brightness temporarily blinding. Gambit blinked, looking down at the screen that showed Logan's image.   
"Whatcha want, Gumbo?"   
"Jean say for you to come to de front. Say de petit wit her."   
Logan stiffened, his claws sheathing near-silently. "I'm on my way." 


	3. Discussions

Chapter Three All previous disclaimers apply.   
********************   
They met in the hallway, just inside the large wooden door that served as the residents' entrance to the mansion. Logan's quick strides across the polished wooden floor brought him to Jubilee's side in a matter of moments. A glance towards Jean led to a rapid-fire mental exchange between the pair. Logan knew instantly the doctor's verdict--however, he sensed that Jean was leaving out some highly important information. Another glance and he felt her presence again in his mind.   
*Take her somewhere…you two have to talk.* A nod towards Gambit, who had appeared in the hallway behind the Canadian. *Somewhere private.*   
"Jubilee--darlin'…come on. We gotta talk." His arm curled around her, pulling her close. Drawing her arms up to cross them over her chest, he saw an ultrasound image…and caught a glimpse of what he thought was the word "marriage" on a brochure behind it. He reached for the papers, but Jubilee flinched, pulling away from him as she clutched them more tightly. Growling deep in his throat, he guided her to their room.   
********************   
"Jube, what in flamin' hell has gotten into you?" The door clicked shut behind him as he growled the words at her. The last thing he wanted was to yell, but her erratic behavior was grating his nerves.   
"What's gotten into me? Well, hell, Wolvie--lemme see…ummm…oh, yeah--you did!" She threw herself onto the bed, curling up into a fetal position on the side furthest from him. The papers that she'd clung to with such ferocity only moments before now lay forgotten beside her.   
Logan picked them up, leafing through the information as he sat down heavily on the mattress. The ultrasound was grainy, making it difficult to "see" anything--however, the doctor had marked a darker splotch with an arrow, labeling it "Baby Lee." The margins contained short notes, telling him things like the length of the fetus, the stage of development it was in, and the due date: "May 15.''   
Logan sat very still.   
His mind was spinning. May. Spring. Next year. Nine months. Doctor's visits. La-something-or-other classes. Diapers. Tiny clothes. Nursery. Late-night wake-ups. Screaming pregnant woman. Soft skin. Bright blue eyes. Black hair. Perfection in miniature. Mood swings. Weird cravings. Being "Daddy."   
Everything he'd ever seen or heard about pregnancy and children came rushing back in a whirlwind. At once, he knew this child would live to see the world. No matter what it would take, this baby--his baby, with Jubilee--would be born and would live with them. Blinking once, he put the ultrasound aside and began reading the brochure.   
********************   
Jubilee felt him sit beside her, heard him sift through the papers. When he became silent, she assumed he'd found the marriage pamphlet. She never moved, only lay there, waiting for his response. One didn't come. Finally mustering the courage to look at him, she peered past his arm at what had caught his interest.   
It was the ultrasound. His fingers were tracing the outline of the funny-looking blob that the doctor had said was the baby. He seemed entranced by the blurry image. Hearing him exhale slowly, she looked away as he turned his attention to the booklet.   
********************   
"Jube?"   
"Yeah?"   
"Talk ta me."   
"'Bout?"   
"I think ya know what."   
"Remind me."   
"I'm gonna assume your smart-mouth attitude is hormones, and ignore it."   
"You know what they say about assuming, Wolvie."   
"Yeah. I think we started that already, so would ya at least turn over and look at me?"   
"I 'spose." She rolled over, sitting up as she slid her legs off the edge of the bed. "What're we talking about?"   
He held the pamphlet up. "Well, for starters--what do ya think about all this?" 


	4. Decisions

Chapter Four Egads! It's a new chapter--whatever will y'all do? Seriously, I finally sat down and started writing again...though the muses kept me up til 8am...(but hey, beggars can't be choosers!)   
********************   
All previous disclaimers apply.   
********************   
She remained silent, fidgeting--examining her nails, picking invisible lint off the bedspread…stalling.   
"Jube. It ain't goin' away. Talk ta me. Please."   
Her eyes lifted slowly to meet his. "What's there to say, Wolvie? I'm pregnant. That's it. It's not really something you can discuss."   
"It ain't the baby I mean ta discuss. It's this whole marriage thing."   
"Well, you should know…the doc gave me that stuff--I didn't ask him for it."   
"Why'd he give it to ya?"   
She shrugged. "Guess he figured the kid would be better off. I told him I didn't need it, but he asked me to at least think about it."   
"Fine. So, what do ya think about it?"   
"I think it's crazy."   
Logan flinched. "Crazy? Why?"   
Jubilee rolled her eyes. "Why? How can you not think it's crazy? Geez, Wolvie. It's us. Us. Can you see us married?"   
"Yeah."   
She froze, eyes meeting his. "You're kiddin'."   
"Nah. Dead serious, darlin'."   
"Oh my God…you're serious."   
"That's what I said."   
"No--I mean, you're serious!"   
"What else in flamin' hell would I be?"   
Jubilee stood up, pacing the floor. "I can't believe this. I was scared shitless--sorry 'bout that--when I even thought about it coming home today. And here you're sayin' all this stuff--you might as well be proposin'." She stopped in the middle of the room, suddenly wary. "You aren't, are you?"   
"And what if I am?"   
"Aw, hell--Wolvie…"   
"Well, what do ya say?"   
"To what?"   
"Ta us gettin' married."   
She quirked an eyebrow. "Well, first I'd ask ya where the hell romance got to, 'cause this proposal ain't got it."   
"Jube, we ain't ever been flowers an' candy people."   
"Well, can I at least get a ring?"   
"I was kinda thinkin' we'd do this real soon."   
"How soon? Like next-month soon?"   
"More like tomorrow-soon."   
"Tomorrow?! Wolvie, I don't have a dress, we don't have rings, nothin'!"   
"Do we need all that stuff?"   
She sighed, dropping back onto the bed beside him. "Well, no…but I'd like to have had it."   
His arm slipped around her waist, drawing her closer to his body. Dragging her onto his lap, he nuzzled her shoulder and neck.   
"Um, Wolvie…I think that's how we got ourselves into this in the first place…."   
He rumbled low in his chest. "Yeah…" He lifted her off of him, sitting her back on the bed. Adamantly refusing to give up touching her, he slid his fingers into her hair. "Tell ya what, Jube--ya want a weddin', ya got one. Go get yerself a dress tomorrow. I'll get us some rings, and see what I can do about a license and getting' a man to do the job. We can get this done by the end o' the week."   
"Logan--wait a minute."   
"What?"   
"How do you feel about this?"   
"Bein' married, ya mean?"   
"Yeah."   
"I want ta do it. It ain't got anythin' ta do with the baby, Jubilee--maybe a little--but I know I love ya, and I can't think of anythin' better in the world than bein' able ta keep ya to myself, and have a life with ya."   
"Damn, Wolvie. That was romantic."   
"Ya tell anyone, an' I'll tell 'em ya drool in yer sleep."   
"I do not."   
"Tell that to yer pillow. I've seen the wet spots to prove it."   
She punched him in the shoulder. "Rat. I should've known you'd get dirt on me."   
"You'd do the same, an' ya know it."   
"Yeah, well…." They fell silent. Gingerly, Jubilee picked up the ultrasound, her finger tracing over the blob that the image showed to be their baby. "Wolvie…?"   
"Yeah, darlin…"   
"What do you think about this?" She waved the picture in the air.   
"I think it's great."   
She half-turned, looking at him with undisguised interest. "Really?"   
"Yeah."   
"Lemme guess. It's that whole big-man-I-can-make-babies thing, isn't it?"   
He snorted. "Nah. It's that I-love-you-and-it's-our-baby thing."   
She scooted over to him, gently pushing him back on the bed before sliding on top of him. "God, Wolvie…I can't believe you. Here I thought you were all gruff and tough, but you're a big ol' softie. You know what? I love it. I love you." She pushed her fingers into his hair, glancing at his eyes--first one, then the other. "You're the best, you know that? Nah, you probably don't. Well, you are." She kissed him, long and hard, her nails digging into his scalp as his hands grabbed her hips and pressed her lower half against his. She smiled against his lips. "I bet you're glad we can still bump uglies, aren't ya?"   
He nodded, hands sliding under her top.   
"Whoa, boy. Hold it right there." She pushed herself up.   
"What?" Impatience washed over his features.   
"Names. We hafta think of names."   
"Right now?"   
"Nah…but there is one thing…."   
He sighed. "What is it, Jube?"   
"Exactly what will my last name be when we're married?"   
Logan paused. "Well…I guess it'll be Lee."   
"But that's my name now."   
"And I ain't got one ta give ya."   
"Okay…so why don't you take my name?"   
"What in flamin' hell are ya talkin' about?"   
"I'm sayin' that if you don't have a name to give, then lemme give you mine."   
"Logan Lee." He paused, brow furrowed in thought. "Alright."   
"What? You're doin' it?"   
"Well, not right now I ain't, but I'm hopin'…" He ground against her to emphasize his point.   
She giggled. "Goofball. You know what I mean."   
"Yeah…and yeah, I'm doin' it. It'd be nice ta have a name. An' the kid's gonna need one, so it makes sense. Is that settled?"   
"Yeah…"   
"Good. Now I can get ta better things…" He rolled her underneath him, tugging the blanket over their heads. "Excuse me, junior…but daddy's got to bother ya a bit…"   
********************   
Jean smiled at the emotions she was feeling from the couple upstairs. The sensations battering her telepathic awareness were way past being "tuned out." They might as well have been deliberately transmitting to her. She couldn't ignore it--she'd tried. Total failure. "Scott…" she whispered.   
"What, Jean?" he mumbled.   
"Sorry to wake you, but I thought you might want to know that everything's okay with them. Logan's fine with the baby, and, well…"   
"Well, what?"   
"Well, the girls and I will probably be taking Jubilee shopping tomorrow."   
He nodded, punching his pillow to fluff it up a little. "S'okay…have fun."   
She smiled again in the darkness before slowly succumbing to her own fatigue. 


End file.
